Independence Day

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
These are perhaps the most famous and powerful words in the American Declaration of Independence, a document that has inspired millions of people around the world and that continues to be celebrated by citizens of the United States of America on the Fourth of July. It was on that date in 1776 that representatives of 13 English colonies in North America gathered in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to sign the declaration that proclaimed freedom from the British kingdom.
On July 2 of this year, two American Peace Corps volunteers explained the Independence Day national holiday to participants in the library’s weekly English Talk Lab. In the United States, the Fourth of July is celebrated all over the country with fireworks, free musical concerts, parades, festivals, speeches, sporting events, cookouts, and other special activities including a famous contest to see who can eat the most hot dogs in the fastest time.
But festivities were not on the minds of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776. They were in the midst of a war of liberation from Great Britain and were risking their lives by issuing this proclamation of freedom. The war is known as the American Revolution, a conflict that ended on the battlefield in 1781 with the British surrender at Yorktown to General George Washington.
While history remembers mostly the brave men who signed the Declaration of Independence or who fought as soldiers and sailors, American women also performed vital roles in the Revolution. Women raised the children and kept up the homes and farms while the men were away at war. They also boycotted British products when shopping and served as valuable spies and couriers of secret messages.
Incidentally, the weekly Talk Lab is held in the Window on America Center in the library, a room that is named after John Paul Jones, who was a naval hero of the American Revolution.
The July 2 Talk Lab also featured activities to help with the pronunciation of English words that end in the letters “ed,” which usually signifies the past tense of a verb. In some instances, the “ed” is pronounced as a separate syllable as in the words rated, traded, aided and gated. But “ed” can be pronounced with a short “t” sound as in the words looked, cooked and clicked.
Another speaking activity gave participants practice in using the word “explained.” Many times, “explained” must be followed by the word “to” as in the sentence “The teacher explained to the students that the planets revolve around the sun.” Photos and video.